There was an old man conversing with his grandson
As they listened to the crackle and pop of the snare and the drum
Track after track as that old record spun
The grandson said “this song sucks so let’s skip to the next one”
The old man sighed and with love in his eyes
He said “son, how do your propose we do that?”
The young boy pulled out a CD and skipped to track number three
He said “listen to how perfect music can be”
He said “we can edit out the bad parts and have a polished song, and we can just listen to the parts we want and just move on”
The old man picked him up and set him on his lap as he begin to explain how the flaws and mistakes added beauty to the song
He told him about his day, where music wasn’t electric
It was from a place deep in the soul and could hold everyone’s emotion from Hard Rock to soul
The beauty of a record is that it’s a continual spin
Same direction might seem like its repeating
But each time it comes back the needle moves out
It’s the same orbit but a new song for you to sit and absorb it
The little boy looked confused as the old man explained paying dues
But granddad we don’t have to keep the bad stuff
We don’t want anyone to know that our song isn’t perfect and we’ve messed up
The old man just smile and hugged him tight
He said “I love you for your wrongs as much as I do your rights,
I love you for your failures as well as your successes.”
He said “never forget that your record will always spin, and don’t move the needle to hurry to the end”
The young boy said “I don’t understand why I have to go through the bad parts when a new song I can begin”
In a digital age of instant gratification the old man sat and rocked and explained to the boy patience
The boy simply laughed and shook his head “granddad your philosophy is so ancient”
Before the boy ran off into the day
He grabbed him tight, bowed his head and begin to pray
“Dear Lord, though I WALK through the valley of the shadow of death. When I want to run and convince myself that all the darkness I’ve left, I know You are with me. You lead me into orbits for Your Names sake. Speak to his youthful fear of the unknown and comfort him deep down to the marrow of the bone. Although he knows not where hither shall come, provide him shade in the process to not wither in the sun. When he is alone and the shiver from cold comes be A Fire that burns yet doesn’t harm like the sun. Most important Dear Lord, continually let him know, that while it seems like he’s going in circles and get dizzy from the spin, it’s in a vertical projection and his protection is within”
The little boy looked up with tears in his eyes
“thank you granddad for keeping this record player alive”
Records today are hard to buy because instantly we all want anything we don’t like to subside
There is a lesson in the wait
In the mistake
Be patient with yourself
Let the lesson mold you in the right way